I had just returned from school after my exams. Coming home always felt like relief—no pressure, no deadlines, just familiar faces and the comfort of being back in my own space. One of the things I always did whenever I returned was visit my friend who lived right beside us. At the time, she was staying with her aunty, and it had become a habit for me to go there anytime I came back from school. We would play, laugh, and gist for hours like we always did.
That afternoon, I went over as usual, not knowing the day would turn out to be different.
When I got there, I noticed the house was more lively than normal. Music filled the air, people moved in and out, and there was an excitement that made the place feel warm and busy. My friend's aunty's husband was celebrating his birthday, and the house was full of guests. I didn't feel out of place going in—I was always welcomed in their home, and it felt like a second house to me.
As I walked in, greeting familiar faces and looking around for my friend, I saw him.
Charles.
At that moment, I didn't know his name. I only noticed him standing there, calm and comfortable, like he belonged in the room. There was nothing dramatic about how we met, but something about him caught my attention. As I moved around the room, I noticed he was staring at me from across the room, and our eyes met several times. Each time it happened, I looked away quickly, my heart beating a little faster than it should have.
We didn't talk much that day. In fact, we barely spoke at all. But even without words, that first encounter stayed with me. I became aware of myself in a way I hadn't expected—how I laughed, how I smiled, how I moved around the room. I could feel his gaze sometimes, and it made me both nervous and curious.
When the celebration began to wind down and I eventually left the house, I had no idea that I had just stepped into the beginning of a story that would shape my heart. I didn't know that the boy who kept catching my eye at a birthday celebration would later become someone important in my life—someone I would love deeply, struggle with, and eventually lose.
That day seemed ordinary.
But it was the day everything began.